MANILA, Philippines – A big majority of Filipino adults say it is hard to find a job these days, a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey found.

In a survey conducted from March 26 to 29, the SWS found that 69% or nearly 7 out of 10 Filipinos said it was difficult to find a job, 16% said it is neither easy nor hard, and 11% said it was easy to find a job these days.

Meanwhile, half or 50% of those surveyed by SWS were still optimistic that more jobs will be available in the next 12 months.

Some 26% said they believed that the availability of jobs will not change, while 10% believed there will be fewer jobs.

According to the SWS, Filipinos have been more optimistic about job availability since 2009, except during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SWS surveyors conducted face-to-face interviews with 1,200 Filipinos aged 18 and above nationwide. The sampling error margin was ±2.8%.

Meanwhile, the SWS also found that adult joblessness was at 19% during the same time period in March. The rate has yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.

From December 2022 to March, joblessness fell in all major areas except for Mindanao, the SWS found. It was highest in Balance Luzon at 21.7% (from 23.1% in December), followed by Mindanao at 19.0% (from 18.1%), Metro Manila at 17.5% (from 24.8%), and the Visayas at 13.5% (from 18.6%).

The labor sector continues to call for decent wages, jobs for all Filipinos, and the upholding of workers’ rights. Contractualization is also still rampant in the country, which subjects thousands of Filipinos to the lack of security of tenure.

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There are several bills filed with the 19th Congress seeking to increase wages across the Philippines. – Rappler.com